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The biblical
counseling movement is drawing more attention these days than ever before, and
deservedly so. As the American church leans into a post-Christian culture,
where the church as we’ve known it for generations has lost influence, what
we’re witnessing simultaneously are skyrocketing complaints, and diagnoses of
problematic behaviors, and emotions. The promise of biblical counseling for
those struggling with life dominating concerns is nothing less than the hope of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, mediated through a loving, accountable, personal
ministry of the word.

One of the most
recent contributions to the growing dialogue that began with Jay Adams’
“Competent to Counsel” in 1970, is Dr. Bob Kellemen’s newest book, “Gospel Centered Counseling: How Christ Changes Lives” (GCC). GCC is part of Kellemen’s
“Equipping Biblical Counselors Series,” which is designed to provide
counselors, pastors, and spiritual friends with the needed theological, and
counseling related tools to further promote lasting, Gospel-centered life
change.

Kellemen’s
stated goal for GCC, and the forthcoming “Gospel Conversations,” is to,
“further equip you for the gospel-centered process of seeing lives changed
through the changeless truth of Christ’s gospel of grace” (p.21). He accomplishes
this goal by presenting the reader with answers to what he calls “Eight
Ultimate Life Questions.” These questions are (p.19):

The
Word: Where do we find wisdom for life in a broken world?

The
Trinity/Community: What comes into mind when we think about God?

Creation:
Whose are we?

Fall:
What’s the root source of our problem?

Redemption:
how does Christ bring us peace with God?

Church:
Where can we find a place to belong and become?

Consummation:
How does our future destiny with Christ make a difference?

Sanctification:
Why are we here?

Answering these
questions, of course, is a monumental task that lies at the heart of all
Christian ministry. Reflecting upon them we can see an outline of major
biblical themes that Kellemen uses to help his audience answer the question,
“What would a model of biblical counseling and discipleship look like that was
built solely upon Christ’s gospel of grace?” With painstaking detail, Kellemen
builds his answer to this question while always keeping the sufficiency of Scripture and progressive sanctification in full view.

GCC itself is
divided into sixteen spiritually rich chapters that provide what Kellemen calls
“Soul Physicians and Biblical Cardiologists” with the tools necessary to
formulate a vision for holistic, biblical soul care. One of the common myths about
biblical counseling is that the movement elevates personal sin as the root
cause of all human suffering, thereby denying the reality of human suffering at
the hands of others, or by what might be called natural causes. Kellemen argues
against this by writing that, “God calls biblical counselors to join the
sanctification journey with saints who struggle with suffering and sin”
(p.254).

Throughout GCC,
Kellemen provides the counselor with word-pictures that help the reader capture
the biblical heartbeat of one-another ministry. In this way, Kellemen does not
bore his audience with dry, academic counseling theory, but with language that
captures the attention. Equally helpful for the new or intermediate counselor
are the various case studies in which the principles set forth in the book are
put on display in would-be conversations that guide the reader into thoughtful,
imaginative application of the material being learned. These portions may be
helpful in the classroom, as GCC is implemented in training.

One of the most
helpful designs of the book that every counselor-in-training would do well to
make use of are the various abbreviations that Kellemen provides to help divide
and understand the human heart, and the way it relates to God and others.
Kellemen provides these division-abbreviations, along with a helpful graphic in
chapters six and seven. These divisions will help the counselor picture where
they are in a counseling session, what parts of the heart their questions are
targeting, and where the counselee’s answers are coming from. This information
will be invaluable in moving toward a natural counseling style. What may be
mechanical up front will eventually become intuitive, and when that happens,
the biblical counselor will surely be a mighty conduit of God’s grace in the
lives of sufferers and sinners.

The trajectory
of GCC, like that of the Gospel upon which it’s built, is toward a progressive
sanctification. Kellemen writes that, “Sanctification is the art of applying
our justification, reconciliation, regeneration, and redemption” (p.255). In
this way, the reader is continuously presented with a biblically holistic view
of what the Gospel does in the life of a redeemed person, and where the
counselor must desire to lead their counselee. But, GCC will not only equip the
counselor for the task, it will challenge and inspire the counselor to apply
these great truths in their own lives, where biblical counseling must rightly
begin.

I’m happy to
commend GCC to any, and all biblical counselors, counselors-in-training,
pastors, small group leaders, and anyone interested in learning how the Gospel
of Jesus Christ moves in and through the human heart, reconciling man to God,
and man to his neighbor. In the pages of this book, we’re given the gift of
experiencing the rhythms of biblical heart change. The scaffolding that the
counselor needs to climb toward Kellemen’s stated goal is provided. This is a
tremendous grace of God in the church today, and one no spiritual friend should
be without.

Kellemen
convincingly writes in the conclusion to GCC, “As biblical counselors we need
to add relational maturity and relational compassion so that we speak and live
gospel truth in loving wisdom” (p.293). To the benefit of us all, and the church, Kellemen has
achieved this.